Magazine legend S.I. Newhouse Jr. dies at 89

Newhouse led Condé Nast, a company which has published some of the most iconic magazines in American journalism for decades.

Author:
Charisse Jones, USA TODAY , TEGNA

Published:
11:57 AM EDT October 1, 2017

S.I. Newhouse Jr., chairman emeritus of Condé Nast which for decades has published some of the most iconic magazines in American journalism, died Sunday at the age of 89.

Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter called Newhouse one of “the last of the great visionaries of the magazine business’’ in a tribute on VanityFair.com.

“In a career that spanned more than six decades, he placed the Newhouse family name firmly in the pantheon of American publishing, alongside those of Luce, Sulzberger, Graham, and Hearst,’’ wrote Carter, who epitomizes the editors tapped by Newhouse — leaders who became as famous as the gilded titles that they headed up.

Bob Sauerberg, President and CEO of Condé Nast, said in a statement that "today, we lost a giant. Si embodied creativity, curiosity and a commitment to excellence unlike any other, and he will forever be remembered as the man who built the most influential media empire in the world.''

In the course of his career, Newhouse turned Vanity Fair into a must-read for all things worldly and chic, presided over the worldwide expansion of fashion bible Vogue, purchased The New Yorker, and birthed a collection of titles including Allure and Teen Vogue. He also purchased the publishing giant Random House,

Newhouse Jr. was born November 7, 1927, in New York City. His father, Samuel I. Newhouse, purchased the Conde Nast publishing company in 1959, and Newhouse Jr. began working with him two years later. In 1975, he became the business's chairman. Ultimately the company produced 128 magazines.

Newhouse is survived by his wife Victoria, his son Samuel, daughter Pamela and, brother Donald E. Newhouse, along with five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

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